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    Traditional Chinese roof tiles decorate the interior of Blue Bottle Coffee shop in Shanghai

    Japanese studio Keiji Ashizawa Design has used traditional Chinese roof tiles as the key material at Blue Bottle Coffee’s latest shop in Shanghai to celebrate local culture.

    Set to open on Friday, the cafe is located on the first and second floors of a building connected to the Kerry Centre in downtown Shanghai, close to the over 1,000-year-old Jing’an Temple.
    The new Blue Bottle Coffee shop is located in downtown ShanghaiKeiji Ashizawa Design placed a total of 13,000 handmade brick tiles on the bar counter, stairwell wall and the lounge area of the cafe.
    This particular type of bricks, which have semi-circular edges, were made in Yixing, a nearby city that is known for its clayware manufacturing. A new smoking process was used for the surface of the tiles to increase their strength and create a subtle reflective effect.
    Bespoke handmade brick tiles were used to cover the bar counter”As Blue Bottle Coffee commits to create local communities around their cafes, we always determine the materials and design based on the local, both culture and history,” studio founder Keiji Ashizawa said.

    “Working on a project in mainland China as a Japanese architectural firm, I felt that there was an importance in considering the common aspects between the two cultures,” he added.
    “With that in mind, we looked through images I photographed and found an image of a roof I took from a restaurant in Chengdu, which inspired me to use roof tiles for the cafe.”
    The stairwell allows visitors to enjoy views of the coffee-making processA coffee bar that connects both floors is at the centre of the space, while seating and product displaying areas are arranged around it.
    According to Blue Bottle Coffee, this is to encourage customers to interact with the process of coffee making.
    An open lounge is on the second floor of the cafeThe stairwell is right next to the bar counter on the first floor so that when people walk up to the second floor, they are able to watch coffee being made at the bar area from different heights.
    An open lounge space at the second floor features a hanging paper light above a seating area with dark-brown furniture and leather cushions.

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    Where the shop connects to the Kerry Centre, a series of semi-circular recessed seating areas have been carved out from the wall on both floors.
    The rounded shape of the seating areas not only responds to the roof tiles but also creates privacy for the customers dining in the cafe.
    Keiji Ashizawa Design used concrete in a variety of colours and textures all over the cafe, which has structural columns and slabs in raw concrete. Natural oak furniture was selected to add warmth to the interior.
    The seating areas are designed to reflect the shape of traditional Chinese roof tilesBlue Bottle Coffee was founded as a small roastery in Oakland, California, by James Freeman in 2002 and has since grown into a chain of cafes across the USA and Asia.
    This is the second Blue Bottle Coffee shop in mainland China. The first one was opened in February this year, designed by Schemata Architects, also in Shanghai.
    Previously, Keiji Ashizawa Design has designed three Blue Bottle Coffee shops in Japan.
    The photography is by Chen Hao.

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    Renesa uses contrasting terracotta and terrazzo materials to create all-day cafe in New Delhi

    New Delhi-based architecture and interior design studio Renesa juxtaposed terracotta and terrazzo materials to design a space that acts as a cafe by day and a bar by night.

    The eatery, which is called Rosie and Tillie, was named by its owners – chefs Anukriti Anand and Vicky Mandal – who wanted to create a hybrid open-plan brunch and cocktail bar.
    Curved booths run down the middle of Renesa’s cafe in Delhi”The cafe expatiates on the dichotomy of a woman who goes by the name Rosie in the morning and Tillie in the evening,” Renesa head architect Sanchit Arora told Dezeen.
    “While chef Anukriti Anand, an expert in bakery, wanted a space that could be called a daytime cafe with cakes and coffees and beverages, they also wanted something that could serve yet another mood; one of night, exclusivity and sombreness,” he added.
    The studio implemented a contrasting rust and white colour paletteNestled in a former Indian restaurant in a shopping mall in New Delhi’s Saket neighbourhood, the cafe features terracotta, warm white terrazzo and curvilinear architectural motifs.

    Customers enter Rosie and Tillie through an outdoor seating section that is decorated in the same materials and colour palette as the cafe’s interior.
    Once inside, guests are welcomed by a row of rust-coloured and creamy white booths upholstered with plush white seats, which run through the centre of the 1,700 square-foot space. These add texture and warmth as well as privacy for diners.
    Booths and walls are clad in the same tilesRenesa, which recently completed a brick-clad showroom interior in Delhi, made the sculptural “spine” that divides the space into different zones the focal point for the mixed-use site.
    “We took an axis as the starting point for our project,” said Arora. “A curvilinear spine divides the space not just spatially, creating efficient zones, but also metaphorically, animating the personalities of Rosie and Tillie.”
    The studio threaded white terrazzo throughoutEach booth has a circular table in its middle where customers can dine on menu items such as french toast, buffalo chicken burgers and American-style pancakes.
    During the evening, they can sip cocktails while sitting on high stools at the main bar counter towards the back of the room.

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    One half of the room is lined in pale flooring and has an earthy red paint applied overhead, while the other half of the room is decorated in the opposite colours.
    Red brick tiles along the walls envelop the space while industrial looking metal lights hang overhead along the length of the plan, uniting the two sides of the space.
    The space has a mixture of traditional table seats and bar counter options”The perimeter of the floor plan is dotted by dining nooks that make way for communal dining in intimate groups illuminated by bespoke luminaires that are artistic installations in their own right,” explained Arora.
    “The hybrid of experiences ranging from the daytime bistro-esque identity morphs effortlessly into the moody lounge by evening via the vocabulary of materiality and lighting that render the venue in a binate mien void of physical demarcations,” he added.
    Other recent cafes featured on Dezeen include a serene eatery in Melbourne called Au79 cafe by Australian studio Mim Design and the Connie-Connie cafe at the Copenhagen Contemporary art gallery which Danish studio Tableau and designer Ari Prasetya filled with wooden chairs by designers.
    Photography is by Niveditaa Gupta.

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    Weathered rocks inform interior of Orijins coffee shop by VSHD Design

    Interiors studio VSHD Design has added a curved ceiling and boulder-like marble counters to this minimalist coffee shop in Dubai.

    Located on the street level of the Dubai International Financial Center (DIFC), the Orijins coffee shop is sparsely decorated using muted colours and natural materials.
    Slim metal furnishings fill the interior of VSHD Design’s Orijins coffee shop in DubaiVSHD Design, which was founded by local interior architect Rania Hamed in 2007, designed the cafe to mimic the “beautiful imperfections found in nature” and in particular a collection of water-smoothed stones picked up from the shores of the Red Sea.
    Orijins’ desaturated colour palette references sand, shells, stone and wood, while the dramatic curved ceiling and the seven uneven marble blocks that form the coffee bar lend a weathered quality to the 105-square-metre space.
    A curved ceiling and plastered walls mimic the surface of stonesThe marble blocks with their abstract shapes were drawn by hand but cut by automated CNC machines, creating a mixture of smooth and rough edges.

    These heavy forms are contrasted with slender metal furnishings and tactile textiles such as fur, boucle and heavy weaves, which were selected to complement the interior’s raw finishes.

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    Plaster walls and polished concrete floors provide a neutral backdrop for the scheme.
    The cafe is lit by a slim LED strip that runs along the length of the space, highlighting the gentle curve of Orijins’ ceiling. Spotlights are positioned over the bar area and a brushed-aluminium sconce custom designed by VSHD decorates one of the walls.
    Seven uneven marble blocks form the coffee bar”Orijins represents the design firm’s interpretation of what it means to be calm, to sit still and to observe the beauty that can be found even in our flawed, everyday reality,” said VSHD Design.
    “It’s the feeling of calm and serenity one gets when sitting on a rock by the sea.”
    All of the furnishings are held in neutral tonesOther cavernous coffee bars include the Blue Bottle Coffee shop at the Shiroiya Hotel in Maebashi, Japan, where Keiji Ashizawa paired brick floors with a warm colour palette.
    The photography is by Oculis Project.

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    Tutu lights populate Montreal's Cafe Constance by Atelier Zébulon Perron

    Pink pendant lights resembling dancers’ skirts hang from the ceiling of this cafe by Atelier Zébulon Perron at a Montreal ballet school.

    Cafe Constance is located in the downtown Wilder Building, home to Les Grands Ballets Canadiens and named in tribute one of the organisation’s former leaders, Constance Pathy.
    Cafe Constance was designed as a theatrical experience within the contemporary building’s lobbyThe 1,400-square-foot (130-square-metre) space occupies the contemporary building’s lobby. It is used both for social gatherings for the artists and employees, and as a reception venue during and after functions or performances.
    “Maintaining apropos ambiances through the space’s transitions from coffee shop by day, to more cocktail-oriented functions in the evening influenced Atelier Zébulon Perron’s design philosophy,” said the design studio in a statement.
    A canopy above the bar and pendant lights help to create a more intimate scale”But the main focus was on creating something truly warm and whimsical in the heart of a contemporary institutional building,” the team added.

    In contrast to the large expanses of glazing and concrete finishes of the building, Atelier Zébulon Perron opted for rich materials like walnut, velvet and brass. Wooden screens wrap the cafe, partially shielding it from view while creating intrigue for patrons and passersby.
    Wooden screens wrap the seating area to create intrigue”We adopted a theatrical approach in order to build a sort of spectacle that is really quite literal,” said studio founder Zébulon Perron.
    “The idea was to create something that seems completely out of place, and that captivates the imagination in a strange and wonderful way,” he said.
    Materials like walnut and brass were chosen to contrast the concrete interiorA canopy above the bar area helps to bring the tall ceilings down to a more human scale.
    Similarly, a series of pleated pendants are gracefully suspended from thin wires above the seating area, at a height that helps create a more intimate setting.

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    These custom-designed lamps, each a slightly different shape, are made from the same blush-toned crinoline fabric as a dancer’s tutu.
    Floral-patterned wallpaper, upholstery and carpets, as well as golden lamps topped with tasseled shades, create the impression of a staged scene from another era.
    Details like wallpaper, upholstery and lighting add drama to the space”The tongue-in-cheek approach to Cafe Constance aimed at creating a fun and fantastical space within the more austere backdrop of the building’s contemporary architecture,” Perron said.
    “That play on contrasts extends to the design within the space as well, with hints of Victorian elements and boudoir intimacy animated by intricate colours, patterns and light fixtures.”
    Lamps were custom designed from crinoline fabric used to make tutusThe designer founded the eponymous interiors studio in 2008, and has also completed a restaurant at Montreal’s Four Seasons hotel.
    Other recently completed hospitality interiors in the city include the plant- and mirror-filled Tiramisu by Menard Dworkind, and La Firme’s bright and airy Melk Cafe.
    The photography is by Alex Lesage.

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    Yuko Nagayama & Associates creates trapezoidal glasses shop and community hub

    Tokyo studio Yuko Nagayama & Associates has completed a copper-clad eyewear store for brand JINS in Maebashi, Japan, which contains a cafe and rooftop terrace.

    Named JINS Park, the shop in Gunma Prefecture was designed to act as a space for the community to gather whether they are shopping in the store or not.
    Yuko Nagayama & Associates has created a glasses shop in Maebashi”We proactively created public spaces that are not part of the sales floor, which encourages community members to come for reasons other than shopping,” the studio explained.
    “In stores of this type, the second floor is typically not open to customers, [we] utilised it as a terrace and also included a bakery-cafe in the store.”
    The shop contains a cafeYuko Nagayama & Associates envisions the space being used as an indoor community plaza with food and coffee served along with glasses being sold.

    A large triangular staircase divides the space in two, with the glasses store located on one side and the cafe on the other.
    The large central stairs lead to a first floor terraceThe widening staircase, under which the cafe’s servery and the shop’s consultation rooms are located, leads to an additional seating area and a triangular, outdoor terrace.
    This space is intended as another community area, offering benches and a generous amount of open space where children can run around.
    Timber units were used to display glassesBroadly lit by floor-to-ceiling windows with the roof supported by angled columns, the interior is broken up by a number of freestanding timber units.
    For the eyewear shop, these are used to display the glasses on sale, while for the cafe they contain pastries and other food
    The trapezoidal building is topped with a roof terraceThe trapezoidal building is topped with a sulphurised-copper facade that was designed to mimic the reddish-brown Mount Akagi that can be seen from the shop.
    Visitors approach JINS Park through a neatly landscaped garden, before being greeted by the central fan-shaped staircase which provides seating with views of the store, garden, and street.

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    “We began by reversing the typical layout of roadside stores, with a parking lot located in front, and instead located the parking lot behind the building,” said Yuko Nagayama & Associates.
    “As the landscaping matures and the copper facade blends more fully into its surroundings, we hope the store will become part of everyday life in the neighbourhood,” said the studio.
    The ground level opens onto relaxed outdoor spacesRecent glasses shops featured on Dezeen include Stephanie Thatenhorst’s playful pattern-filled interior for a children’s opticians in Munich and a shop clad in colourful sheets of locally sourced plastic waste by sustainable materials company Plasticiet and Amsterdam eyewear company Ace & Tate.
    Other recent developments include eyewear stores by Child Studio for Cubitts, a company that asks for each shop to be designed in a unique style that reflects the history of its local neighbourhood. The studio’s Leeds store is inspired by Victorian joinery, whilst another store is based on Soho’s colourful postwar reputation.
    The photography is by Daici Ano and Tomoyuki Kusunose.

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    Mim Design conceives Melbourne's Au79 cafe as “greenhouse sanctuary”

    Australian studio Mim Design has demarcated the Au79 cafe and bar in Melbourne’s Chadstone shopping centre from the surrounding stores using an arched framework instead of solid walls.

    Set in a corridor between shopfronts, Au79 was designed as a “greenhouse sanctuary” that could offer shoppers a slice of serenity and respite within the bustling retail complex.
    Melbourne’s Au79 cafe is set in a corridor between shopfrontsMim Design, which was also responsible for creating Au79’s first outpost in the nearby city of Abbotsford, wanted the space to fit into its surroundings while also bearing resemblance to the company’s original cafe.
    The Chadstone mall has a vaulted glass ceiling, which the studio decided to mirror by encasing the cafe in an arched framework topped with a gridded metal canopy and cascading plants.
    One side of the pill-shaped plan is taken over by a cafeThis frame surrounds a pill-shaped plan, which is divided into two distinct zones by a central servery.

    On one side is a neutral-toned cafe and on the other a bar organised around a curved counter made of figured stone and flanked by brass-edged display cabinets.
    The other side houses a bar”The cafe addresses the main retail thoroughfare while the bar offers a more intimate and exclusive experience facing the luxury retailers,” said Kieren Guerrero, Mim Design’s lead designer on the project.
    “The resulting open floor plate sensitively maintains visibility across the cafe to the shopfronts beyond while the arched outlines produce a theatrical colonnade effect and subtle sense of privacy.”
    Huge spherical pendants hang along the centreThe sense of formality and grandeur created by the framework is enhanced by the overall symmetry of the space.
    A row of huge custom-made spherical pendant lights is hung along the length of the plan, fitting neatly into the central arches.

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    “At night, we wanted to create the atmosphere of sitting under the glow of the moon,” said Guerrero. “The gentle illumination allows the space to transition and hold presence from day to night, bringing a new dimension to Au79’s organic forms and natural materials.”
    Mim Design employed a tonal palette of brick, terrazzo, natural leather and stone within the interior. Brass details, lush scalloped profiles and tactile finishes echo Au79’s Abbotsford cafe.
    Banquette seating runs along the perimeter of the cafeFixed banquette seating runs along the perimeter of the cafe to maintain a sense of spaciousness while seating as many people as possible.
    Loose furniture settings enable flexibility and moveable joinery on the cafe’s frontage allows the space to transform in order to accommodate different events.
    Tiles and terrazzo are contrasted against flesh-coloured leather”The project crafts a textural, gilded oasis in the Chadstone shopping complex,” said Miriam Fanning, founder and principal of Mim Design.
    “We sought to create a destination that redefined the expectation of what a kiosk is, a place considered to be built form that held ideas of permanence and presence.”
    Other projects by the Melbourne studio include a delicatessen with a counter that looks like sliced salami and an office filled with perforated metal screens.
    The photography is by Timothy Kaye.

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    Rawan Muqaddas designs Sloane Street Deli to be a “classic neighbourhood spot”

    Green tiles and bentwood chairs feature inside this deli and restaurant in central London, which design studio Rawan Muqaddas has renovated to complement its local surroundings.

    Situated along an affluent street in Belgravia, Sloane Street Deli incorporates a barista bar, take-away-deli counter and an eatery that serves breakfast, lunch and dinner.
    Sloane Street Deli is situated in an affluent London neighbourhoodRawan Muqaddas, founder of eponymous design studio Rawan Muqaddas, aimed to create a comfortable place to dine that captured the spirit of the local neighbourhood.
    At the same time, she hoped to inject some of her own Middle Eastern flair into the restaurant to give it a homely atmosphere.
    Rawan Maqaan has renovated a deli into a vintage style eatery”The concept behind Sloane Street Deli was to build on a classic neighbourhood spot that’s also an extension of one’s home,” Muqaddas told Dezeen.

    “A spot where you can come in and spend five minutes or 50, in a space that is inviting, comfortable and warm, with the customer’s comfort at heart.”
    A curved serving counter is positioned at the deli’s entranceUpon entering the deli customers are greeted by a green-tiled deli counter serving baked goods and fresh pastries.
    It is clad in Arcaico tiles, a Japanese tile that Muqaddas wrapped one at a time around the curved counter.
    Rattan furnishing and bentwood chairs add to the deli’s retro feel”The focus was on the layering of textures and an earthy colour palette, the centre being the Japanese handmade single tiles,” Muqaddas explained.
    “As customer journey was key, I introduced the curvature around the counters, followed by the curvature of the banquette to optimise the flow of the customer.”
    Green tiles contrast terracotta-coloured seatsThe same tiles can be seen on the spice shelf and the adjacent barista counter where customers can purchase hot drinks. Here, a retro, cream-coloured coffee machine perches on another counter in front of large windows.
    Other vintage elements throughout the eatery which is mainly spread over the ground floor level, include cushioned diner-style booth seating, rattan furnishing, bentwood chairs and shiny brass accents.
    The kitchen, prep room and restrooms have been renovated in a similar fashion and are all located downstairs in the basement.

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    Muqaddas employed a mix of creamy green tones and earthy terracotta – colours that are often associated with Middle Eastern interiors to flesh out the rest of the space.
    Elsewhere, splashes of pale pink can be seen on the leather and fabric seats as well as on the awnings that hang outside.
    The space is framed by large windowsTo further tie the deli to the neighbourhood, the studio wanted to preserve as many elements of the original deli as possible, including the facade, interior walls and flooring.
    It refurbished some of the existing bistro tables and kept the original white mouldings and marble tabletops.
    The kitchen and customer restrooms are located downstairsRawan Muqaddas is not the only studio to give a modern eatery a retro look. Cafe Banacado, an all-day breakfast cafe in Stockholm by architecture studio ASKA has a colour palette of muted yellows, brown and cream hues.
    Parisian design studio Lizée-Hugot added low-slung lacquered seating and wooden panels to Abstinence, a Parisian eatery that recalls traditional French brasseries.
    Photography is by Kensington Leverne.

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    Alex Meitlis uses plaster and terrazzo to create pink tones in Ottolenghi Chelsea

    London deli chain Ottolenghi has taken a new approach with its latest venue, styled by interior designer Alex Meitlis with a palette of warm pink and red hues.

    Ottolenghi Chelsea features bare plaster walls, pink terrazzo tiles, red upholstered seating and rattan seats.
    The look is a departure from the other Ottolenghi delis, where the design is typically more bright and minimal.
    Pink and red tones feature throughout Ottolenghi ChelseaMeitlis has been behind the design of all the other delis, as well as sister restaurants Nopi and Rovi, which all feature the food of Israeli chef Yotam Ottolenghi and business partners Noam Bar and Sami Tamimi.
    Here the idea was to make more of a statement, using colours that match the Ottolenghi tableware collection recently launched by Serax.

    In the same spirit, the shopfront and exterior signage bring in vibrant shades of yellow, blue and turquoise.
    Clay plaster walls are left exposed”I take my approach from looking very closely at Yotam’s approach to his food,” said Meitlis, who has studios both in London and Tel Aviv.
    “It’s about taking very basic ingredients but using them in a slightly different way.”
    Pink terrazzo features on the walls and floorsThe clay plaster on the walls was made using recycled bricks, which provide the warm terracotta colour.
    The multi-tonal character of this material is emphasised by curving walls that offer a play of light and shadow.

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    Meitlis worked with artist Ivo Bisignano – who also designed the tableware collection – to create the restaurant’s distinctive floor, where pink terrazzo alternates with white tiles to create a striped effect.
    The same terrazzo also features on wall surfaces at the front of the space and behind the deli counter.
    Upholstered banquettes have a graphic feel, with cylindrical cushionsThe upholstered banquettes bring a geometric element to the design, combining blocky seats with cylindrical cushions. The choice of red fabric allows these to become the most eye-catching elements in the space.
    They are paired with white circular tables and Mies van der Rohe-designed MR Chairs, which introduce more curves.
    Curves are integrated in the wallsOther elements include the familiar deli counter, where the cakes, pastries and salads create an appetising display.
    “We usually start from scratch; almost all elements of the design are made specifically,” Meitlis told Dezeen. “The only items we bought were the iconic Mies chairs.”
    “Once again, it’s about mirroring the brand’s attitude; all the food is made in the kitchen, with few elements pre-prepared.”
    The facade features shades of yellow, blue and turquoiseOttolenghi Chelsea opened in January 2022 and is located on Pavilion Road, in a converted Victorian stable building that is now home to various independent retail brands.
    Dishes for Ottolenghi delis and restaurants are developed at the brand’s test kitchen in Holloway, which was recently overhauled by Studiomama with pops of saffron yellow and raspberry red.

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